


Drifting Souls

by IWillScreamIntoTheAbyss



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Genre: College AU, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Ill add as i go, Mentions of alcohol, Slow Burn, Trans Nia, return pillow to the factory if you have a bad neck this pillows really fluffy, trans Zeke, vague description of a car acccident
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-03-08 20:07:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13465620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IWillScreamIntoTheAbyss/pseuds/IWillScreamIntoTheAbyss
Summary: Mòrag Ladair is a regular, overworked college student whose best friend is Zeke. He drags her along to help with a project, which leads her to meet someone who will make her believe in love again. Not that she knows that yet.(title might change)





	1. Encounters

Mòrag hadn’t slept nearly enough for the day that was ahead of her. Niall had shaken her awake, saying he’d missed his bus and needed a lift. 

That was perfectly fine. She didn’t mind driving him, but it was currently 6h30 in the morning. She’d gone to bed in the ballpark of 1 or 2 in the morning, giving her a solid five hours.

“I’ll be out in a minute,” she groaned as she rolled out of bed. 

She wouldn’t be getting out of the car, so she just pulled her hair into a messy bun. It took her two tries to put on her tank top right side up, though she managed to put on her leggings and flannel on the first try. 

So here she was now, in the line of the drive through of the nearest coffee shop. Niall had asked if she could get him something, and she wasn’t going to say no to him. She received a text while she was driving.

“You still driving us out to the beach today?” Niall said, reading her the message. 

“If it’s Zeke, tell him yes. Otherwise block them,” she replied. 

“It’s Zeke,” Niall replied as he texted her answer. 

The answer came in a few seconds later. 

“Aight good. Actually, can you come within the next 20 minutes? Teach made some changes to the script and we have to be there before it gets too warm to film some of this stuff.”

Mòrag sighed. She was supposed to pick him up in two hours, not twenty minutes. Hopefully it meant she wouldn’t be spending the entire day there. 

“Tell him I’ll be there in half an hour with breakfast. Ask him what everyone wants.”

She drove slightly faster than the speed limit to get Niall to school in time. She needed to grab her backpack with her laptop before she could pick up Zeke. She checked the text and regretted offering to pay for breakfast. 

Their group was bigger than she’d thought. She was driving Zeke and Pandoria there, but apparently there were others that would meet them there.

She waited in front of his dorm building. There was a knock at her window and she looked up to see a woman. A really, really pretty woman. Her dyed hair was tied back into a ponytail and she was dressed very nicely, suddenly making Mòrag feel underdressed. 

She rolled down the window, hoping the woman wouldn’t judge her too harshly for looking like a mess. She rolled down the window. “Can I help you with something?” she asked. 

“Yes! Are you by chance Mòrag Ladair? Pandoria told me she drove this model car.”

She nodded, trying to figure out if Zeke had ever mentioned picking up someone else, then remembered the blueberry muffin Pandoria had asked her to get. “That’s me. I’m guessing you’re a part of his troupe?”

“Yes,” she replied. “Would you mind opening your trunk? I don’t want my bag to take up leg space.”

“Of course, no problem.” 

The fun thing about her car was that the trunk had to be opened a specific way, so she had to leave the driver’s seat to open it. At least her leggings were clean. Once she’d shut her trunk, Zeke ran over, carrying a ton of equipment. 

“Thanks again,” he said after she’d helped get everything into the trunk. “My car’s too small for this, and the other guy’s car is such a piece of shit I don’t know if he’ll make it to the beach.”

“Let’s get going, the food is in the car.”

The drive to the beach was an hour long, though they somehow managed to make it in less than that. There weren’t many people who were heading out to the beach on a Tuesday morning in the middle of April. She wasn’t even sure why they were going all the way out there, but she’d rather not ask. She knew better than to ask Zeke about the stuff he had to do for his drama classes. 

Most of the ride was quiet, the woman sitting in the back, eating the blueberry muffin and talking with Pandoria. Zeke was riding shotgun, giving her directions since she’d never actually gone to this particular beach. 

He also tried to play some music, but Pandoria ripped the aux cord out of his hands. No one wanted to deal with a gregorian choir rendition of “Bring me to life” at 8 in the morning. Pandoria put Mòrag’s phone on shuffle instead, much to Zeke’s dismay. 

While everyone else had eaten on the way, she hadn’t and she was starving. Once she pulled up in the beach’s parking lot, Zeke went to pay the toll while the others started unloading the car. 

Mòrag carried most of it and by the time Zeke came back, Pandoria was starting to install everything. 

Halfway through, another car pulled up. Mòrag, for once, agreed with Zeke; it really was a piece of shit. It was a truck that was being held together by duct tape instead of bolts. The driver was a scruffy kid whose appearance matched the truck he drove. 

She arranged her snapback, trying to get the sun out of her eyes. She’d left her sunglasses at home. It was a good half hour before she could retreat to the car to have her own muffin and maybe nap a little. She picked a picnic table under a tree and got comfortable. It would be too hot in the car, even if they were in April. 

0o0

Brighid had been woken by a call from Pandoria. The script had been changed and they had to get to the beach a few hours early. She wasn’t even taking part in the filming, but she had to be there nonetheless. 

She was told that someone would be driving them there and to look out for a specific car. All she had to do was bring her makeup kit and the change of clothes Zeke would need. 

The car was the only one parked in front of the building, so it was easy to find. The woman driving looked like she wanted to be pretty much anywhere but here, which Brighid sympathised with. No one wanted to be Zeke’s designated driver at 7 in the morning. 

The drive was mercifully quiet, interrupted only by Zeke and Mòrag’s arguing when it came to directions. Pandoria spoke to her, mostly about what had to be done. 

She watched as Mòrag unpacked and carried most of the heavy equipment; she was stronger than she looked. Before she could say anything to her, Pandoria whisked her away. 

Right, she had work to do. 

When she looked around the beach, she felt her heart skip, thinking Mòrag had left. She spotted her sitting at a picnic table, typing furiously at her laptop. With nothing better to do and curious, she walked over. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Working on my sociology paper,” she answered without looking up. 

“Mind if I sit?” she asked. 

“Sure, go ahead.”

Brighid was amazed at how fast she was typing. She didn’t want to bother Mòrag, so she didn’t say anything. She’d never had sociology, so it was fascinating to read what she was writing. And how quickly she was doing it. 

She looked over to the beach, where Pandoria was filming Zeke, and Rex, the kid with the piece of shit truck, was holding the microphone. From what she understood, it was a play about a historic event that was more of a legend than anything else. 

The semester was coming to a close, so she had no idea why Zeke was only filming now, but she really hadn’t been paying attention to the play schedule, so she didn’t know if this was a two semester long endeavour or not. 

The sound of Mòrag’s typing had stopped as she’d joined Brighid in her staring. 

“The class was separated in groups and they each had a chapter from the Legend of the Aegis and had to adapt it,” Mòrag explained. “I think they got the end, when Addam disappeared with the Aegis. I don’t know why they chose the beach to film it in, though.”

“Interesting,” Brighid said. “I’ve always wondered about what the theater groups are up to.”

“Is that why you're here?”

She nodded. “That, and Zeke learnt I work at a hair and makeup studio, so I was roped into the production.”

Mòrag looked confused. “How did you manage to do that?” 

“I have literature with him, and I made the mistake of sitting next to him once.”

Mòrag laughed. “That sounds like Zeke.”

“What about you?” Brighid asked. “How did you end up driving Zeke to the beach at 7 in the morning?” 

“I’ve known him since we were kids; our fathers were friends,” Mòrag replied. “His car isn’t big enough, so he bribed me with my favourite restaurant. I can’t say no to a good burger.” Mòrag froze. “I don’t think I got your name, now that I think about it.”

She almost laughed. “It’s Brighid. Brighid Teddim.”

Mòra nodded. “You probably got it already, but I’m Mòrag Ladair.” She held out her hand. “Yes, that Ladair.”

Brighid held her hand. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” 

Brighid sat back next to Mòrag, who continued work on her paper. She offered a headphone to Brighid, who accepted it. Anything to not hear Zeke’s rambling and Pandoria yelling at him because he got the line wrong. 

Pandoria called her a few times to do some touch ups. It might have just been April, but the temperature in Alba Cavanich was always warm, even in the early spring. As such, Zeke kept sweating his makeup away. He didn’t sit still enough for her to waterproof it. 

When she went back to Mòrag, she brought a soda from the cooler Rex had brought. She still hadn't talked to him, but he seemed like a nice kid. She handed it to Mòrag, hoping it was a kind she liked. 

She froze, almost dropping the soda cans. Mòrag had taken off her flannel and tied it around her waist, now only wearing a black tank top that left very little for the imagination. Her arms were very defined; no wonder she’d been able to lift all of that equipment so well. 

She took a moment to compose her thoughts and hopefully be able to form coherent sentences without embarrassing herself. 

She sat down next to Mòrag, handing her the can. She smiled and thanked her. Brighid didn’t let her eyes wander over to her biceps or focus on the way they flexed when she opened the can. 

She gulped and looked away, the waves being suddenly very interesting. 

“How’s your paper?” Brighid asked to try to get the conversation going.

“Well, I just finished it, but I need to go over a few dozen more times before I hand it in next week.” 

“Maybe I could give it a read,” she suggested. “Get a fresh pair of eyes.”

“Sure, but did you even have sociology?”

“Never have, though it seems interesting.”

Mòrag handed her the laptop. “I’m supposed to write while keeping in mind that whoever’s reading it has never taken a class, so we’ll see if I managed to do it.”

She anxiously drank her soda as she waited for Brighid to finish reading. It was a 25 page paper, so she’d be waiting for a awhile. 

She looked back over to Zeke, who was monologuing. Something about the war finally coming to an end, but she wasn't really paying attention. After almost two decades of being friends with Zeke, she’d learnt to tune him out. 

Almost half an hour passed before Brighid tapped her shoulder. 

“It looks really good,” she said. She scrolled through. “I’m a little confused about this part though.”

Mòrag leaned in to see what she was talking about. “Oh, that was a part I wasn’t too sure about. It mentions a study the teacher talked about a lot during the semester, I asked her for the source yesterday and she hasn't gotten back to me yet. The study is about how adults subconsciously act differently depending on what sex the child is presenting as.”

“That sounds like a really interesting study,” Brighid muttered. “If you’d like me to take another look before you hand it in, feel free to forward it to me.”

“I’ll keep your offer in mind, thanks.”

Brighid smiled, and so did Mòrag as she returned her attention to her paper. 

She was called again. This time though, Mòrag was called too. It was a meeting between all of them. 

Zeke clapped his hands dramatically. “We’re finally done, so we can head home, thanks everyone.”

“You’re forgetting one thing, Zeke,” Mòrag said, crossing her arms. 

“Yeah, you promised us something, Zeke,” Rex said, earning some respect from Mòrag. 

He sighed. “We meet up at Torna’s for lunch. My treat. I haven’t forgotten. Heck, I can even drive you there.”

Mòrag laughed. “The day you drive my car is the day I die.”

“Love you too, Mòrag.”

They gathered everything, putting most of it in the back of Rex’s truck. Mòrag was almost tempted to give him a mechanic’s phone number. She had no idea how it was legal to drive something like that. 

“I don’t know where Torna’s is,” he told her as they finished packing. “Can I just follow your car?”

“Of course, not a problem,” she replied. “It’s about a ten minute drive from Hardheigh College, so if you lose me send Zeke a text and I’ll lead the way from there.”

“Ah, thanks. I’m new to town so I don’t really know the local restaurants, though I’ve heard Torna’s is really good.”

“It’s one of the best,” she replied. 

He smiled as he got in his truck who, to her surprise, started up immediately. She headed to her own car, leading the way during the hour long drive back to town. 

Unfortunately, the drive from the beach wasn’t as quiet as the drive back. Zeke wasn't shutting up, always looking to the back seat to look at what Pandoria was doing. 

“Zeke.” She said after he blocked her blind spot for the hundredth time while she was trying to change lanes. “If you do that one more time I’m kicking you out of this car and you can walk to Torna’s.”

He stayed quiet after that, catching himself whenever he tried. He knew she wasn’t joking about kicking him out of that car; she’d done it before and she’d do it again. 

She could see Rex’s truck a few cars behind in the rearview mirror. She was hoping he wouldn’t lose her. Or that his truck wouldn’t break down.

He thankfully didn’t. About an hour later, they pulled into the Torna’s parking lot. 

They were sat quickly. While Mòrag, Zeke and Pandoria had been eating here for years and had ordered the same thing for years, they had people who’d never gone before, so for the first time in a while, they waited for everyone to see what they wanted to get. 

Brighid was surprised to see that they seemed to know the employees really well. Then again, they’d apparently been coming here for years. Their waitress was a really bubbly blonde woman who, by her name tag, was named Obrona. 

They talked as they waited for their food. 

“So Rex,” Mòrag asked. “You’re new here, right? What brings you to Alba Cavanich?”

“Well,” he scratched the back of his head, probably a nervous tick. “There aren’t that many schools where I’m from, and Hardheigh college has some good salvaging classes and it allows me to do a double major.”

Zeke whistled. “Then what are you doing in the art program?”

“I didn’t have the necessary credits I needed to get into my ideal program, so I applied for the art program and used this semester to get what I needed.”

“Smart move,” Brighid said. “Where are you from?”

“A tiny salvaging village in the Leftherian Archipelago, Fonsett Village.”

“Can’t say I’ve heard of it,” Zeke shrugged.

“Neither have I,” Mòrag added. 

“I get that a lot,” he laughed.

“What about, you, Brighid?” Pandoria asked. “What brings you to Alba Cavanich?”

“School, mostly,” she answered. “My father’s Ardainian and since I’ve spent the previous years of my life in Urayan schools, I figured I would go here.”

“You grew up in Uraya?” Pandoria asked. 

Brighid nodded. “My mother is Urayan, my father Ardainian. I was raised in Uraya, though. Fonsa Myma, to be exact.”

“And here I thought your hair was dyed,” Zeke said. 

Brighid laughed. “It’s natural, but the tips are dyed. I get that often.”

Their food arrived, silence falling over them as they dug in. They’d been at the beach for almost 5 hours and were starving. Burgers from the best burger joint in Alba Cavanich would certainly work.

Brighid didn’t know how she’d managed to go almost an entire semester without even hearing about this place. It was delicious. Rex was thinking the same thing. They had to come here more often. 

They finished quickly, all of them having been starving. A different person came by to pick up their plates. “How was everything?” he asked with a flirtatious tone. 

“It was really good,” they all said at the same time. 

He winked at Brighid as he walked away, balancing all of their plates. 

“Ignore him,” Pandoria said. “Mik is just like that, but he’s harmless.”

She took notes to ignore him, his hairdo being memorable enough that she would remember it. 

Even though the dorms were just a few minutes walk away, Mòrag still dropped everyone off. Unlike her, they had classes in the afternoon. She headed home, continuing work on her paper. 

She had a lot of work to do.


	2. Letting loose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The semester is finally over, and the group spend some questionable quality time together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the feedback last chapter, I'm glad you're liking it so far!   
> (I should mention, I'm a full time college student so updates are probably going to be irregular, though I'll do my best.)

[Sociology paper]  
[Sent to Teddim, Brighid at 12:34 AM on Friday, April 23rd]  
“Hey Brighid, I know it’s almost 1 in the morning but I just put the final touches my paper so check it out if you have the time.  
Thanks, Mòrag L.”  
[Attached document: personal hell socio edition.wrd]

[RE: Sociology paper]  
[Sent to Ladair, Mòrag at 3:07 AM on Friday, April 23rd]  
“Hey Mòrag, it was really good, I don’t see any problems with it. Though I would suggest changing the name of the document before handing it in if you’re doing it online. :)  
Oh, btw, when’s your final exam? We could go out to eat and celebrate the end of the semester if you’d like.  
I hope you get a good grade on your paper!  
-Brighid”

Mòrag woke up at 6. She’d gotten a solid four and half hours of sleep. Typical end of semester sleep schedule. She’d gotten a message from Brighid. She would question why her response had come at three in the morning, but she understood. She’d forgotten that was what she’d named her document, and was glad for the reminder. 

She had two hours to print out her paper, double check it for any errors she’d skipped over, down a few coffees, and drive to class. 

She heard Niall running around the house, getting ready himself. She opened her laptop and went downstairs to the kitchen.

To her surprise, Aegaeon was there. He usually wouldn’t be there until the afternoon, but she was glad she wouldn’t be the one Niall came to if he missed his bus. He already had his uniform on, eating breakfast. Considering his shirt was white, it was a disaster waiting to happen. 

She sat at the table, Aegaeon slipping a plate of toast, eggs, breakfast sausages and hash browns. A full breakfast. An actual breakfast that wasn’t a muffin. It was beautiful. She almost cried when he also gave her some coffee, getting it just right. 

She ate at the table, listening to Niall rambling to Aegaeon. The man was the brother they’d never had. They would both have a tough day, by the sounds of it. Niall had three exams. Mòrag had a paper to hand in and then two three hour exams one after the other. 

Once she was done eating, she went back to her room, needing to change the title of that damn paper. The printer in her room could smell her fear. She couldn’t feel fear while her paper was printing, so she typed out a reply to Brighid instead. 

[RE: RE: Sociology paper]  
[Sent to Teddim, Brighid at 6:59 AM, on Friday April 23rd]  
“Hey Brighid, thanks for checking it out and reminding me to change the name of the document. I’d forgotten I’d named it that. My final exam is next thursday. I don’t know about you, but Zeke and Pandoria have been insisting on dragging me to the bars, feel free to come along. Otherwise we could meet up elsewhere if you don’t want to go drinking. <3  
Good luck on your exams!  
Mòrag L.”

Her paper was done printing almost as soon as she sent off her message to Brighid. She stapled it and carefully put it in her binder. She made sure it was in her backpack. Aegaon knocked on her door, offering another coffee. He knew her too well. 

She quickly brushed her hair, putting it into a braid. She put on the first flannel she found in her closet, then put on some shorts. It was too warm for leggings.

She got to class early, taking time for some last minute studying. She didn’t really need to, but she might as well. 

She handed in her paper, exchanging it for her exam. 

...It had been too easy. She walked out with over an hour left to the class, wondering if she’d messed up somewhere, but knowing she’d done well. 

The following week passed quickly. It was a whirlwind of exams and all-nighters. When she came home from her final exam, she slept for almost 20 hours. 

“She emerges!” Niall exclaimed when she left her room. 

She blinked. 

“Good afternoon, Mòrag!” Pandoria joined him. 

Why was Pandoria at her house? Sure, she knew where she lived, but that didn’t explain it completely. 

She hadn’t even checked her phone, unsure of what day it even was. 

“Zeke kept tagging you in memes and you weren’t answering, so he assumed you were dead and sent me,” Pandoria said, answering Mòrag’s silent question. 

That sounded about right. She looked at the show they were watching. “Niall,” she said. “I can’t believe you’re watching Mor Ardain’s next top model without me.”

“It’s recorded,” Niall shrugged. “We just started it, we can restart it.”

“Please do,” she replied. 

She grabbed her phone, which she’d thankfully put on its charger before passing out. She saw she had quite a few texts as she sat down on a couch. 

[Zeke’s friends support group]

[Zekenator]: yo morag u alive  
[Zekenator]: morag?

[Pandy]: i think shes dead  
[Pandy]: i mean, most of the liquid in her body is coffee rn, considering the semesters over shes probably dead

[Zekenator]: tru

[Brighid (cute girl from zekes troupe)]

[Brighid]: Not sure if I ever replied, but I’d love to go bar hopping with you guys if you’re still going. Just tell me when and where we can meet and I’ll meet you there!

There were others, especially in the group chat, but those were the important ones. She replied to them.

She saw that they’d been talking about te bars and since Mòrag had been dead for the past 16 hours, they’d moved it to saturday night instead of tonight. That was fine by her. 

She was hungry, so during a commercial break she made a call, ordering pizza, much to Niall’s approval. 

Before the delivery guy had even arrived, Zeke knocked at her door, having heard the word “pizza”. While that wasn’t unusual, he also had Brighid and Rex with him. It was Pandoria who’d opened the door, so she’d run up to her room to change out of her pyjamas. 

They talked about summer plans while lounging on couches. 

As per usual, Mòrag and Niall would be spending a good part of the summer in Gormott. Zeke and Pandoria would be staying in Alba Cavanich, though they’d probably go on a road trip around Mor Ardain. Rex was staying too, though he’d be working. Brighid was going back to Fonsa Myma. 

“We’re going drinking tomorrow night,” Zeke said. “Do you want to come along, Rex?”

“I’d love to,” he replied. “But I’m 19.”

Zeke laughed. “Unfortunate.”

The legal drinking age in Mor Ardain was 20, so he was out on his luck. He found it particularly unfair since back home, it had been 18. He didn’t particularly like drinking, so he didn’t really care. 

The following night, Brighid was waiting for the others to show up. Granted, she’d arrived early to make sure she wouldn't be late, but still. She saw Mòrag through the saturday night crowd, heading toward her. Zeke and Pandoria were with her. 

Pandoria was wearing a short, puffy skirt and a black shirt. Zeke had a sleeveless vest and long pants. She was pretty sure he wasn’t wearing a shirt underneath that vest. She almost stopped breathing when she saw Mòrag. 

She had a fancy black tank top with black short shorts. There was a red flannel tied around her waist. Her hair was untied. 

Shit. Why was Mòrag so hot. Why.

It was Mòrag who first spotted Brighid sitting by the fountain, where they’d said they would meet. She had a V-neck purple and blue shirt with a black shirt. Her was tied in buns. 

Shit. Why was Brighid so hot. Why. 

They’d already agreed to what bar they’d go to, so they headed for it. They stayed close, not wanting to get separated in the crowds. 

They had their drinks and managed to find places to sit. They talked about whatever came to mind, mostly about how good it was to finally be free from school. Also how hot and/or cute other people around them were. 

They all had a few drinks. When Brighid came back with more, Zeke and Pandoria were making out. She didn’t know if it was the alcohol or if those two were actually dating. She and Mòrag shared a look, deciding to hit the dance floor. 

She had no idea what song was playing, but it had a good beat and her heart was beating just as fast. 

She danced with Mòrag, hoping to be able to blame her ogling on the alcohol. For a long part of that night, they were practically on top of eachother. 

They eventually left the club around 2 in the morning. Mòrag texted Pandoria when they sat on the edge of a fountain. 

Brighid had wrapped an arm around Mòrag’s shoulders. Mòrag was surprisingly heavyweight. If she didn’t know she’d had 4 beers and a few shots, she’d say she was sober. Then again, Brighid was about the same, though she knew she got giggly when drunk. She was giggly.

She didn’t know how long passed before Pandoria and Zeke sat beside them. 

“I dunno about you guys,” Zeke said, “but I could go for some chicken nuggets.”

The other three agreed. There was a fast food place just a few steps away that had a long line considering the bars were starting to close and the drunk people were starting to gather there. 

Pandoria secured them a table. 

Zeke, being the most drunk of them all, actually ordered a pack of 50 nuggets with enough fries for everyone. Once Brighid and Mòrag realised he’d ordered for all of them, they joined Pandoria. 

Zeke sat down with nuggets and fries for all of them. When Mòrag reached for a nugget, Zeke grabbed her wrist and held it up. He looked intently at the small wishing bracelet that was on it before dropping her wrist and trying to force feed her the nugget she was reaching for. 

Brighid couldn’t decipher Mòrag’s expression. There was anger, but it looked like confused anger. Distress?

Pandoria knew Zeke was loud when drunk, but he was too quiet. She would fight him for grabbing Mòrag’s wrist like that. Instead, she threw a fry at him. He quickly changed the subject, but Pandoria didn’t miss how distressed Mòrag had seemed when he’d touched the bracelet. 

The incident was quickly forgotten as they ate through the nuggets while other drunk people had drunk shenanigans around them. 

They eventually made it back home. Zeke was the only one who had a hangover the next morning.


	3. Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What time is it? Summer time!

[Pandoria added Brighid Teddim to Wastes Sounds 10 Hours]

[Pandy]: welcome to the club, Brighid.

[Brighid]: i am full of fear

[Flamebringer]: dont be, just ignore zeke and youll be fine

[Zekenator]: RUDE

Mòrag didn’t know why Zeke had insisted on adding Brighid and Rex to their group chat. It was already enough of a mess with three of them, five would only make it worse. 

Then again, she’d spent most of the month with them. Niall hadn’t finished high school yet, so she was still in Alba Cavanich. Brighid was already back in Fonsa Myma, sending them pictures of the scenery everyday. No one in their group had ever gone to Uraya, so it was cool to see it. 

Mòrag had started packing her bags. She’d be leaving for Gormott in a few days, right after Niall’s final exam. 

She looked through her vanity, stopping when she saw the bracelet on her wrist. She’d almost forgotten about it until Zeke’s drunk stunt. She knew what he’d meant to tell her when he’d grabbed her wrist. 

She should’ve taken off that bracelet years ago, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. 

“Nia, you know I don’t want anything for my birthday,” Mòrag sighed. 

“I know,” Nia replied, smiling. “But I still wanted to give you a little something.”

She opened the box, gasping. She took the small bracelet out of the box and looked at it. It was red, yellow, grey and black strings tied together in an intricate pattern.

“It’s beautiful,” she said.

Nia grinned. “I made it myself. Do you like it?”

Mòrag looked at Nia, smiling. “I love it.”

Carefully, Nia took it from Mòrag and tied it around her right wrist. Mòrag kissed her nose, laughing. 

She didn’t care what Zeke thought. The bracelet wasn’t coming off. 

She managed to forget about it by the time she’d boarded the plane. She was ready for a relaxing vacation in Lake Yewtl. 

[Wastes sounds 10 hours]

[Flamebringer]: {Sent a picture}  
[Flamebringer]: can confirm, lake yewtl is still really pretty

[Rex]: !!!!!!!

[Brighid]: :0  
[Brighid]: where is it in comparison to Torigoth? Its the only Gormotti city i know about lmao

[Flamebringer]: its about a half hour drive to the south when theres not too much traffic. Niall and i are going there tomorrow for the fireworks, ill be sure to send pics

For once, it wasn’t Mòrag who drove to the estate. Her aunt had picked them up at the airport, which was out of the ordinary. Instead of driving, she spent most of the drive being the DJ, since her aunt didn’t trust the radio to play songs that were “appropriate" for Niall’s age. 

The Ardanach estate in Gormott was on the edge of Lake Yewtl, a small lake that glimmered in the sun and that had pristine beaches. There were other estates along the shores. Mòrag could see other people out on the lake, some fishing and other jet-skiing around those fishermen to be assholes. 

Good to know the place hadn’t changed. 

She spent the summer going between the estate and the nearby Torigoth, bringing Niall along. They also spent a lot of time out in the lake. She taught him how to jet-ski, her aunt, his mother, finally giving him permission to ride one on his own. 

She checked the group chat almost everyday, sending pictures of her vacation. The others were doing the same. They were all enjoying their summer, by the sounds of it. 

Zeke and Pandoria had gone around the wastes of Mor Ardain, sending the group chat selfies as they went. 

[Wastes Sounds 100 hours]

[Pandy]: morag, when are you getting back?

[Flamebringer]: next thursday, plane will be landing in the evening

[Pandy]: alright, want to go to tornas when you land?  
[Pandy]: zeke and i should be back to alba cavanich, were in chansagh rn

[Flamebringer]: cant, dads picking us up at the airport and were going to the barrel for nialls birthday

[Zeke]: is that the fancy new steak house?

[Flamebringer]: yup

Brighid had sent pictures to the group chat every day, though most of it was saffronia trees. She’d run into a girl from high school at a cosmetics shop. She started talking about how if one were to confess their love under the saffronia tree on Bloomshade cliff, your love would come true. 

The image of Mòrag laughing came to mind when Kora mentioned that. She shook the image away. It was just a myth. 

She still had two weeks in Uraya, then one in Mor Ardain before the semester started. She spent it visiting old friends and seeing family. 

Mòrag had spent the entire day at the beach. She was keeping an eye on Niall, who was trying to surf on the waves of a small lake. It was going about as well as one would expect. She joined him in the water, trying to help him stay steady on the board, but there really weren’t enough waves for this. It was a lake. Lakes didn’t have waves. 

He eventually gave up, deciding that riding his sister’s shoulders was a lot more entertaining. 

They returned to the beach, laughing. They laid on their towels, looking up at the clouds. They said nothing for a long while. They were going back to Mor Ardain the following day. 

“Mòrag?” Niall asked.

“Hmm.”

“I got a text from Aegaeon last night. He saw Nia downtown.”

She didn’t respond. She didn’t know what to say. She never thought she’d see Nia again, not since she’d moved to Indol. Not since they’d broken up. 

“He didn’t see her for long and didn’t get the chance to talk to her, but she looked happy,” Niall said.

Mòrag didn’t answer. She let out a sigh, one she’d been holding in for years. 

“Good to know she’s alright.”

Niall propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her. “I know you didn’t want to talk about it when it happened, but its been what? Three years?”

“Four,” she replied. “Four years.”

“What happened? I was ten, but even I could tell you two were in love.”

Mòrag took a deep breath. “After her father died, she learnt she had family in Torigoth and ran away. Her father had said in his will that her uncle would look after her if anything happened to him. Somehow, her transphobic piece of shit aunt convinced whoever was in charge of Nia’s case that she was better off with her.”

Niall looked mortified. She kept going.

“She found that uncle in Torigoth. Dromarch, I think his name was. She managed to get a restraining order on that aunt. We had a long distance relationship for awhile. I can’t exactly say when, but eventually we just… drifted apart.”

Niall blinked. “I don’t get it.”

“We didn’t have a big fight, not all relationships end like that. At some point we fell out of love and didn’t have the energy to stay together. Long distance, especially with all the time zone bullcrap, was just too much. We were busy with high school and she was still fighting her aunt in court. We just stopped talking to each other, and eventually drifted apart. We talked about it and ultimately decided that it wasn’t good for either of us. So we broke up.”

It took a minute for Niall to talk. 

“Love sure is complicated,” he sighed.

Mòrag laughed. “It sure is.”

She turned to him, sitting up. “What? Is there someone you’re interested in?” She gave him a shit-eating grin. 

He went beet red. “I- I don’t!”

If she didn’t know any better, she would say he was hiding something from her. She just laughed. He did too. 

[Rex added Pyra, Mythra, Brighid and Nia to house group]

[Rex]: So the house has four rooms, so we can each have our own except two of us are going to have to share.

[Pyra]: Well, Mythra and I are twins, so we can share no problem.

[Mythra]: Hey! Dont go volunteering for stuff without asking me first!

[Pyra]: You were going to suggest the same thing, I heard you mutter it before I finished typing

[Mythra removed Pyra from house group]

[Nia]: Sigh

[Nia added Pyra to house group]

[Rex]: Anyway, the owner is letting us move in a week before the semester starts, maybe earlier but she hasn’t gotten back to me on that. We each have a key and we can pay to get more copies if we want to. 

[Brighid]: Sounds good to me. How many parking spots are there?

[Rex]: Just one, but two cars can fit in it and the owner says she can provide us with parking permits for the street.

[Nia]: Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I have a car. I’m willing to park it out on the street as long as it’s not raining.

[Brighid]: I don’t have one, so I’m out of that debate.

[Mythra]: Neither do we, so Rex and Nia can take the parking lot on their own.

[Rex]: Fine by me.


	4. Moving In

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mòrag helps Brighid move in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I've read Fresh Start and loved every bit of it, but this fic is something entirely different and even if this fic also has the housesharing trope, that's the only similarity this fic and that one have in common. This is something completely original that has nothing to do with Fresh Start. Any other similarties that aren't that trope and the ships are not intentional.  
> Now that that's out of the way, enjoy!

Mòrag helped Niall pack his bags, making sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. A five hour flight just to get a shirt back wasn’t something they wanted to go through. 

Their flight was leaving in 5 hours, and the airport was an hour away. Mòrag was the one who packed their suitcases in the car’s trunk. Her aunt drove them, Mòrag once again being the DJ. 

The Torigoth airport was big, but they were used to it. When they were younger, their mother would accompany them until boarding, but now that they were old enough, she simply dropped them off at the departures. Mòrag was an adult who wouldn’t let her little brother out of her sight. 

Niall sighed, pulling his suitcase behind him. His mother was a classic example of a helicopter parent. While his father had most of the custody, his mother looked after them in the summer and sent money for their education. She’d been trying to have Niall move to Gormott for years, but she couldn’t force him. 

They spent a good hour going through customs, leaving them three hours before their plane left. 

[Wastes Sounds 1000 hours]

[Zekenator]: Hey rex and brighid have been in this chat for like 2 months why the hell dont they have nicknames yet

[Pandy]: i think rex forgot this chat existed i haven't seen him online in awhile

[Flamebringer changed Rex’s nickname to ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯]

[Pandy]: HOW did you do that with your phone

[Flamebringer]: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

[Brighid]: i dont know if i should be afraid of not

[Zeke changed Brighid’s nickname to Jewel]

[Jewel]: i dont get it

[Flamebringer]: dont ask, hes never going to explain anyway

[Zekenator]: anyway morag, are you at the airport yet?

[Flamebringer]: {Sent a picture} you tell me

Brighid felt her heart skip when she saw the picture Mòrag had just sent to the chat. She was at the airport herself, waiting for her plane to start boarding. Mòrag had tanned during the summer and was still way too pretty. 

Brighid groaned. She really was too gay to function. Mòrag was unfairly pretty, and she still had no idea of she was straight or not. She would have to get her shit together and ask her out sometime this semester. 

She found it a little funny that they were going back on the same day, though she’d arrive at Alba Cavanich airport later. Uraya was much farther from Mor Ardain than Gormott was. Hopefully the group chat would keep her entertained during the 15 hour flight. 

Niall had a gift: he was able to fall asleep anywhere, even in planes. That left Mòrag with five hours of wishing she’d taken the window seat. 

Once they landed and they’d retrieved their suitcases, their father was standing at arrivals. As promised, he took them out to a restaurant for Niall’s birthday. After a very filling dinner, they returned home and spent the rest of the evening catching up on the shows they’d missed while they’d been in Gormott. 

Niall started school on Wednesday, so he had time to catch up and un-jetlag himself. 

All of Mòrag’s friends were back in Alba Cavanich, so she hung out with them. Brighid had managed to get help from Mòrag and Zeke to help them moving into the new house. 

The house might be farther from campus than the dorms were, but financially speaking, it was a better option. She wouldn’t meet any of her future housemates until the day she moved in. 

[Wastes Sounds 1000000 hours]

[¯\\_(ツ)_/¯]: So I’m getting the keys to the house tomorrow but the furniture is in a storage unit. I got the key to it earlier and we can go to it before moving in. Mòrag, Zeke, can i borrow your cars for this?  
[¯\\_(ツ)_/¯]: wait why the hell is that my name

[Pandy]: welcome back to life, rex

[Zekenator]: not a problem but my car might be a bit small to fit furniture in it

[Flamebringer]: you could always rent a u-haul, though id be happy to help with moving in

[¯\\_(ツ)_/¯]: i was thinking that too, but my truck can hold quite a bit so i dont think its going to be necessary

[Zekenator]: ill gladly lend you my MUSCLES if the car wont help

[Jewel]: i can be there at 8 tomorrow, is that alright with the owner rex?

[¯\\_(ツ)_/¯]: yeah thats fine

[Flamebringer]: actually zeke if your cars too small you can take one of mine, im sure dad wont notice one of his trucks missing  
[Flamebringer]: no, you cant take the fancy one

[Zekenator]: dammit

[Pandy]: so we meet up at 8 tomorrow?

[Flamebringer]: sounds fine by me  
[Flamebringer]: ive been waking up at 6 every day this week to drive Niall to school because for some reason the school decided to cancel his bus stop

[¯\\_(ツ)_/¯]: two other people will be there around 9, and the third will be there around noon since she has a morning shift  
[¯\\_(ツ)_/¯]: can someone PLEASE change my name

[Pandy changed Rex’s nickname to Rexypoo]

[Rexypoo]: ok thats worse

[Jewel]: welcome to the club of weird nicknames, rex

Brighid laughed. She was glad she’d checked her phone during her work break. The group chat never failed to be entertaining. The house wasn’t too far from the hotel she’d been staying at since she got back from Fonsa Myma. 

She hadn’t met any of her future housemates aside from Rex. From the house chat group, they all seemed nice. She hoped she got along with them well, since it would make the entire household awkward otherwise. It probably wouldn’t happen. 

She heard a shout, which meant her break was over and she was needed again. 

[Soon our freedom ends]

[Zekenator]: hey morag look out your window

[Pandy]: i swear it was his idea

[Flamebringer]: what the fuck are you two doing in my parking lot its 6 in the morning

Mòrag sighed as she pulled her curtains back. She had to go to the front door to let them in, though she was tempted to let them stay outside for awhile. Especially Zeke. Unfortunately, she was a good person who didn’t let her friends stand outside at 6 in the morning. 

Niall looked at them, equally confused. “I would ask,” he said, almost dropping part of his toast, “but I know better.”

Zeke shrugged. Mòrag was pretty sure even he didn’t know why he was here.

“We were supposed to meet up in two hours, but for some reason he woke up ten minutes ago and decided to head here immediately instead of doing what a sane person would do and fall back asleep,” Pandoria explained. 

“Sounds like a very Zeke thing to say and do,” Niall said. 

Zeke turned to Mòrag. “When did your little bro get so sassy?”

“He learnt from the best,” she replied. 

Zeke sat at the table and put his face on it. He stayed there for awhile, making Pandoria want to poke him with a stick. Maybe a fork. Or a butter knife. 

Niall left to go get his backpack and his uniform. Mòrag trusted Pandoria and Zeke enough to let them unsupervised at her house. They’d been coming here for years and probably knew it better than their own dorm rooms. 

“I’ll be back in twenty minutes,” she said. 

Mòrag brought back coffee for both Zeke and Pandoria. The latter was in the living room watching the morning news, while the former was still at the table. She sprayed water on his face to bring him back from the dead. He jumped, successfully returning. 

He thanked her for the coffee, them moved to the living room, where they watched television for a bit. They still had almost an hour before they were to meet at the house.. 

Mòrag’s father came through the door. 

“Hello Zeke, hello Pandoria,” he greeted. 

“Hey sir dad,” Zeke replied. 

“Good morning Epham,” Pandoria said, raising her coffee at him. 

“Did you forget something?” Mòrag asked. 

“I did,” he said, walking down to the garage. “I took the wrong car to work.”

“I’m going to need the truck,” Mòrag said. “We’re helping some friends move today.”

“No problem,” he said. “Be careful driving my car, Zeke.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Zeke answered. 

Shortly after Epham left, Zeke got a call from Rex. He was leaving for the storage until and wanted to meet them there so they could go directly in the house with the furniture with them already and save them a few trips. They headed out. 

Pandoria rode shotgun with Mòrag, giving her directions to the storage unit while Zeke followed behind. 

Somehow, Rex’s truck was still running and he’d started putting things in the back of it. Mòrag and Zeke helped, Pandoria carrying the less heavy stuff. They weren’t sure why the furniture had spent the summer in a storage unit, but it had something to do with the house being remodeled over the summer. 

They arrived at the house about 15 minutes after the time they were supposed to meet the owner. To their surprise, they already knew her. 

“Miss Haze?” Zeke exclaimed. 

Their drama teacher smiled at them. “Good morning Zeke.”

“Are we late?” Rex asked, getting out of his truck. 

“No, you’re fine,” she answered. “I’m assuming the others are getting here later?”

“Yup!” Rex said. “We figured we’d start unpacking early.”

Haze opened the door and let them start to carry things in. 

They were just four people to move a kitchen table, some chairs, a couch, 4 beds and other miscellaneous furniture. They got to work. 

Mòrag was tempted to slap Zeke when he didn’t hear her say that he should hold the couch diagonally since it wouldn’t fit otherwise. Instead, he would pay for their lunch. 

Two girls joined them a little later. They had a few things of their own, but thankfully nothing big that didn’t fit through the door. Brighid got there not long after. The move didn’t take that long since there wasn’t much that they had to actually carry in. That, and Mòrag and Zeke were strong enough on their own to carry most of the stuff. 

They were done around 11, leaving Zeke to order a few pizza boxes for them. 

They took the time to learn about each other while they waited for both the delivery guy and the last member of the household. 

“So is everyone here going to Hardheigh College?” Pandoria asked. 

“Seems like it,” Mythra, the blonde girl, said. 

“I’m actually going to the cooking school that’s connected to the college,” Pyra said. 

“I’m in the natural sciences department,” Brighid said. 

“I’m minoring in drama and majoring in computer science,” Pandoria said. 

There was a knock at the door. It was the delivery guy, who was hailed as a hero. As promised, Zeke payed. 

They ate as they waited for the last housemate to join them. She should be here any minute, so they saved her some pizza.

That would have been the plan if the door hadn’t rung almost immediately after they’d sat down to eat. 

Rex had gone to open the door. There was a bit of ruckus as he helped her take her suitcases inside. From what Mòrag could tell from her perch on the couch, she was wearing a yellow jumpsuit and was Gormotti. 

“We can carry your things upstairs a bit later,” she heard Rex say as he led her to the living room. “We ordered pizza, I hope you don’t mind.”

“I don’t, looking forward to some food after that shift.” 

Zeke shot Mòrag a look, who wasn’t looking at him. That voice sounded familiar. Really familiar. 

The new housemate walked through. 

Mòrag almost dropped her pizza slice. 

The girl stopped in her tracks as soon as she saw her. 

“Mòrag?”

“Nia?”


	5. Unexpected Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one was really expecting this to happen, but they aren't complaining.

Rex looked between Mòrag and Nia, who were both frozen in place. There was a full minute of awkward silence. 

Mythra cleared her throat. “Well, looks like you two already know each other. Nia, Rex, either join us or watch us eat the pizza.”

“Uh, right,” Rex blurted as he went to sit. 

Nia sat next to Mythra, across the room from Mòrag. 

“So Nia,” Pandoria said, hoping to remove some of the tension from the room. “How was Indol?”

“It was alright,” Nia replied, reaching for a slice of pizza. “I get why it’s such a big tourist trap, with all the religious crap all over the place.”

“When you said you were from Indol,” Pyra said, I was expecting you to be Indoline, not Gormotti.”

“Nah, I just moved to Indol for high school.”

The conversation carried on, the subject changing over to places to visit in Alba Cavanich and what their class schedule looked like.

It turned out that quite a few of them had classes together or at the same time. At least their commutes would be a little easier. 

Zeke kept a close eye on Mòrag, ready to take her out of the house if need be. She’d insisted four years ago that she was fine with the breakup, but she’d come to him crying. He couldn’t forgive someone made his best friend cry.

Nia could feel Zeke’s gaze on her, and she made her best effort to ignore him. At least Mòrag wasn’t hostile. In fact, she seemed genuinely interested in what she was talking about. 

Eventually, there was no more pizza and reluctantly, they got back to work. There was barely anything left to move, so it was quick. Mòrag ended up in Nia’s room, helping her get her desk in order. They hadn’t directly spoken to each other yet. She hoped she got the chance to before classes started. 

“Did you get that restraining order against your aunt in the end?” Mòrag asked from under the desk. 

That was certainly one way to start a conversation. 

“Yeah,” she replied. “I stayed in Torigoth for a bit afterwards but Indol had better prospects for school, so I moved there with Dromarch after a year or so.”

Mòrag hummed in response. “That’s good.”

“Did you uncle- er, your dad, get better?”

“Yeah, he’s been in remission for 3 years. He’s even back to work, though he doesn’t travel as much these days.”

“And how’s Niall?”

“Still a good kid, though he’s grown a lot.”

A comfortable silence fell. 

Nia was putting her clothes into a drawer while Mòrag was trying to stop the desk from wobbling. It was a questionable desk at best, but it would have to do. She finally got it to be stable.

With a sigh, Nia put her clothes down and peered her head out the door and quietly closed it. Mòrag looked up at her from her spot on the floor. “Is something wrong?”

Nia shook her head. “Can you do me a favor?” Her voice was barely above a whisper. 

“Depends on the legality of it,” Mòrag replied. 

Nia laughed a little. “I haven’t told the others I’m trans, so could you keep it quiet around them? I don’t want to tell them quite yet.”

“Not a problem,” Mòrag replied. “I’ll tell Pandoria and Zeke to not say anything about it either.”

“Thanks,” Nia smiled. “It’s really nice to see you again.”

“It really is. Want to go out for lunch before the semester starts? Catch up over some good food?”

“Sure, you got a place in mind?”

“There’s a burger joint called Torna’s not far from here, they’ve got the best burgers in the city.”

Nia laughed really loudly, probably enough to startle the others. “Yeah, I know they’ve got good burgers,” she said once she got her composure back. “I work there.”

Mòrag blinked. “Oh.” She laughed too. “Maybe we can go somewhere else, then.”

“Maybe,” Nia agreed. She handed Mòrag her phone. “Put your number in, we can keep in touch easier.”

Mòrag did as much. “How long have you been in town?”

“About a month,” she scratched her nose. “I’ve been staying with a friend. Dromarch stayed in Indol for work, though he’s been trying to get transferred to Alba Cavanich. It was mostly because he didn’t want me to live alone, so now that I have an actual place, maybe he’ll stay, I don’t know.”

Someone knocked on the door. 

“Come in,” Nia said. 

It was the blonde twin- Mythra. “We’re going grocery shopping,” she said. “I have a Costco card, so we’re going there.”

“Sounds good to me,” Nia replied. “They’ve got pretty cheap stuff.”

“Good, we were going to need your car anyway,” Mythra said. “We can’t all fit in Rex’s piece of shit, after all. We’re leaving in ten. Be downstairs then”

“She seems nice,” Mòrag deadpanned. 

They headed downstairs. The nearest Costco was half an hour away, so Mòrag didn’t have time to join them. 

Zeke wanted to come to Costco, but Mòrag couldn’t drive two cars at once. He tried to have Pandoria drive, but she didn’t have a driver’s license yet, so he was stuck driving. 

The housemates took both cars, while Mòrag, Zeke and Pandoria headed back to the Ladair house. 

Zeke was quiet, not even turning the radio on. He certainly hadn’t expected Nia of all people to be one of Brighid and Rex’s housemate. He had no ill will towards her, but she’d still hurt Mòrag, even if she insisted otherwise. 

He sighed. 

He had to talk to her, make sure she was alright.

Unbeknownst to Zeke, in the car ahead of him, Mòrag and Pandoria were having that exact conversation. 

“Well, that was unexpected,” Pandoria said once they left. 

“Yeah,” Mòrag laughed. 

“Are you alright? Like, absolutely not lying to make me feel better alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied. “I was just surprised. The only reason Nia and I lost contact with each other in the first place is because she had to change her phone and couldn’t share the number with me for safety reasons. It was really nice to see her again, and that we’ll be seeing her quite a bit in general.”

Pandoria nodded. She could tell Mòrag wasn’t lying. She had to agree; it was nice to see Nia again after so long. 

Once home, Mòrag spent a good twenty minutes trying to convince Zeke that she was alright. 

She eventually got him to drop the subject, but she could tell he wasn’t convinced. Sure, he was a good friend, but he worried about her too much. 

This semester certainly would be interesting.


	6. Back to class

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it was inevitable

Brighid quickly got used to living with others. She got along pretty well with Pyra. They cooked together since they were the only ones who could cook decently in the house. Nia also seemed nice, though she hadn’t talked to her much. 

She hadn’t spoken much with Mythra either, but she seemed a little aggressive. According to Pyra, she was simply a little nervous about a new house and would calm down in a few days. Hopefully, she would. 

They were starting to plan carpools, since school started the next day and if some of them had classes at the same time, they could drive there together. Granted, the only ones with a car were Nia and Rex, but they could save the others a walk or a bus ride. 

Brighid and Mythra both had a class at 8 in the morning. No one else had classes that early, so they’d be walking to class together. That was the plan until they learnt that Mòrag had a class at 8 too, so she could drive them there. 

So here they were, at 7h15 in the morning, standing in the kitchen and waiting for Mòrag. Mythra was eating the cereal she’d bought, while Brighid was having some toast. 

They heard loud footsteps and knew Pyra was running down the stairs. She rummaged through the cabinet before seeing the cereal box still on the table. 

She slowed when she saw Mythra and Brighid were staring at her.

“Isn’t it 9? Didn’t you have a class at 8? What are you still doing here?” she looked a little panicked.

“You forgot to turn you clock to this timezone, didn’t you?” Mythra deadpanned.

Pyra’s face went as red as her shirt. “I did,” she whispered. “I forgot.”

Mythra laughed. Brighid did too, but not as loudly. She got a text from Mòrag, saying she’d be there in 2 minutes and to get ready. She relayed the message to Mythra who, still laughing at her twin, grabbed her bag and headed out the door. 

Mythra called shotgun as she ran toward the car parked in the street before realizing there was someone in the passenger seat. Brighid was already in the backseat, so she had to go around the car to sit in the back. 

Mythra tried to figure who the kid was. She knew Mòrag had a little brother, but she hadn’t expected him to be so young. Was it even legal to have kids be a decade apart? Maybe. 

“I just have to drop Niall of at school before we get to class, but we’ll still get there on time,” Mòrag said, vaguely looking at the backseat. 

The little brother, Niall, gave a little wave. Was he on the phone?

“Hmm? Yeah, some of Mòrag’s friends just got in the car, she’s carpooling with them.”

He was on the phone. She wondered who it was, but it wasn’t any of her business. She shared a look with Brighid, who just shrugged. 

Niall eventually hung up. “Mom says hi,” he said. “Also that you should drive safe because the traffic in Torigoth is dreadful.”

Mòrag snorted. “Not sure what the traffic in Torigoth has anything to do with the one here.”

“Not sure either,” Niall laughed. 

Mythra, meanwhile, was trying to place Mòrag. She knew she’d seen her before, but had no idea where. If she could know her last name, then she’d know for sure, but she didn’t. Instead, she spent the rest of the ride trying (and failing) to figure it out. 

Mòrag dropped her brother off at what seemed to be a really fancy high school that was probably too rich for her to ever be able to afford even stepping inside of. They still had more than enough time to get to class on time. 

“If anyone wants coffee I can stop at a store, but you’re paying for your own coffees,” Mòrag suggested as she maneuvered around the other parents dropping off their kids. 

“That would be really appreciated,” Brighid answered before Mythra could. “It turns out the coffee machine at the house doesn’t work. Wish we’d known that before buying packs for it.”

Mòrag laughed a little as she finally made her way out of the parking lot towards both school and the coffee shop. Less than twenty minutes, Mòrag had found a parking spot at school and they made their way to the main entrance with coffees in hand. 

None of them had the same class, let alone were on the same floor, so they separated. Mòrag took the stairs to the second floor while Brighid and Mythra took the elevator to the 3rd and 5th floors, respectively. 

[There goes our freedom]

[Pandy]: morag are you at school

[Flamebringer]: yeah, class is about to start

[Pandy]: 2nd floor? ardainian?

[Flamebringer]: oh my god.  
[Flamebringer]: run pandoria run

Mòrag and Pandoria had the same class, and she just barely made it in time. Mòrag wouldn’t let her live that down for awhile. Probably until Zeke pulled the same stunt. 

Even if it was the first class, it lasted the full three hours. Mòrag only had an hour break until her next class, so she stayed, hanging around the drama club and eating a muffin for lunch. 

Haze, the drama teacher and surprisingly enough, the landlord of the house her friends were staying in, was there, along with Pandoria and Zeke. Brighid also joined them, a full lunch from the cafeteria in hand. As long as there wasn’t a class, the main drama room was a meet up spot for many students. 

Brighid arrived, seeing Mòrag sitting on the piano bench and eating something. She was talking with Pandoria and hadn’t seemed to have noticed her. She sat right next to her.

“Hey Brighid,” Pandoria greeted.

Mòrag waved, having a mouthful of muffin in her mouth. 

“How are you finding the house?” Haze asked. Brighid hadn’t realised she was there.

“I quite like it. It’s a lot more spacious and clean than some other student houses I’ve seen,” she replied.

Haze laughed. “Yes, well, you should have seen the state it was in when I bought it! My wife spent a good portion of last year remodeling it. It might as well be a new house entirely!”

“How’s Lora, by the way?” Mòrag asked. “Haven’t seen her in a while.”

“She’s working at the military base not too far from here. Since she lost her leg, she won’t be deployed again. It might sound a little selfish, but I’m glad she’s home all the time now.”

Pandoria nodded. “Did you get a kid yet?”

She shook her head. “One might come in any time though. We’re looking forward to it.”

“If you need a babysitter don’t call Zeke,” Mòrag said before taking the last bite of her muffin.

A shouted “HEY!” from Zeke on the other side of the room was promptly ignored.

Haze laughed. “I’d rather call Jin than ask Zeke.”

“You know I can hear you, right?” Was ignored.

The conversation went on, Brighid not taking part in it. She was about to try to join back in when she got a flurry of texts. 

[Mythra]: ik youve been friends with morag for a bit  
[Mythra]: do u know what her last name is  
[Mythra]: its been bugging me all morning 

[Brighid]: why?   
[Brighid]: its ladair im pretty sure

[Mythra]: OH MY GOD  
[Mythra]: WHERE ARE U RN

[Brighid]: main drama room on the 3rd floor

There was no reply. Brighid was suddenly afraid. Mythra looked like she might murder her under normal circumstances, even more so now that she was screaming. 

She was sure she was about to get yelled out and she was terrified. 

“Is there a reason Mythra’s yelling at me because of Mòrag’s last name?” Brighid whispered in Pandoria’s ear. 

“Do you know who Eandrig Ladair is?” Pandoria asked. 

Brighid shook her head. 

Before Pandoria could open her mouth, Mythra barged in, looking positively murderous. 

“How do you not know the Ladair family? You’ve been living here for almost a year!” she shouted, giving everyone in the room a heart attack. 

“Because I grew up in Uraya?” Brighid said, fearing death. 

“Eandrig Ladair was a famous movie director,” Haze said. “He was also a big donator to the school. Most of his movies are cult classics. There’s going to be an event in his honour in November.”

“Even if you don’t know his name, chances are you’ve seen one of his movies,” Pandoria said. 

Brighid nodded. She could feel Mòrag’s eyes on her. 

“I can’t believe you didn’t realise it until now,” Mythra sighed. “I’m pretty sure even Rex knew.”

“Well I’m not really hiding it,” Mòrag said. 

Mythra sighed. “I had a feeling you were her, you looked familiar.”

“I guess he has been on the news quite a bit recently,” Mòrag said, scratching the back of her head. 

Mythra just stared at Mòrag. 

After almost a full minute of awkward silence, Mòrag spoke up. 

“Can I help you with something?” Mòrag said. 

“No.”

“Ok.”

Mythra left, leaving everyone confused. 

“Well, that just happened,” Zeke said. “What was her problem?”

Mòrag and Brighid shrugged. 

Brighid’s phone vibrated, seeing she’d gotten quite a few texts from Nia.

[Nia]: where are you right now?  
[Nia]: i think im on the third floor but im so fucking lost  
[Nia]: please help

[Brighid]: im on the third floor too  
[Brighid]: want me to come help find your class?

[Nia]: please

Nia forced herself to calm down. It wouldn’t be great to have a panic attack on her first day at a new college. Brighid had told her to stay where she was and that she was on her way.

She leaned back against some lockers, keeping an eye out for Brighid.

“Hey, you alright?” Mòrag asked. 

Nia jumped almost a foot away and hissed. “Hey,” she said, catching herself.

Mòrag smiled. “Don’t worry, it might as well be a rite of passage to get lost. Where’s your class?”

Nia showed her the schedule. 

“Well, the number starts with 5 so it’s on the fifth floor,” Mòrag explained. “It’s also above 30, so it’s in the east wing.”

“Wasn’t Brighid coming?” Nia asked as Mòrag started to lead the way. 

“She was, but I was heading out to class anyway, so I figured I’d help out.”

Nia didn’t answer, memorising the route Mòrag was taking. Less than 5 minutes later, she was standing in front of her class.

“Thanks,” Nia said. “Really saved my hide there.”

“It’s not a problem. Tell me if you ever need help, if I’m not in class I’ll help out.”

“Thanks again. Won’t you be late to your class?”

“Nah, it’s on the fifth floor too.”

Mòrag waited until Nia was in the class before making a mad dash to the second floor. She made it just in time.


	7. Hot date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A heat wave is in full swing, and Mòrag and Nia go on a "date".

Brighid and Nia had volunteered to do some of the cooking tonight, so they were alone in the kitchen while the others did whatever it is they did during the evening. 

They worked in comfortable silence, only speaking to ask for something or to sing along to the radio who was playing a popular pop song. 

Nia had asked how she’d met Mòrag and Zeke, and she explained the “adventure” at the beach the previous semester, though she left out her gay panic. She still wasn’t sure if she could be openly Bi around these people yet. 

“What about you? How did you meet them?” she asked. 

Nia smiled. “We went to same boarding school in Gormott,” she said. “Well, they were boarders. I still lived in Torigoth at the time so I went home in the evenings, but often hung out at my place. They went to a High School in Mor Ardain after that though, so we talked online and eventually lost touch. It’s been really cool to see them again.”

“It’s a small world,” Brighid said. 

Nia nodded. She wanted to tell Brighid that actually, she and Mòrag had dated for more than a year while in high school, but she wasn’t sure if it was safe, so she kept her mouth shut. Maybe another time, when there wasn’t the chance of someone walking into the kitchen to hear their conversation. 

Or for Pyra to come back from class at that moment and join them in the kitchen. She sat at the table, asking what they were making. It was something that could probably be considered chicken parm. Pyra let them work on it. She might be a culinary student, but she wasn’t going to interrupt her tentative friends. 

“What classes did you have today?” She asked. 

Nia rambled about her sociology class, which she had with Mòrag. Brighid complained about her lab partner in physics who was, apparently, “as clueless as they were useless”. 

Pyra listened, only distracted when her phone buzzed. 

[Rex]: Are you done with your class yet? Do you want a ride home?

She laughed softly as she typed out her answer. 

[Pyra]: It finished early so I walked back home. If you leave your room you’ll find I’m home ;p

A few seconds later, she heard the tell-tale sound of footsteps upstairs. He smiled when he saw her. “How was your day?” he asked. 

She told him all about it as Brighid and Nia finished the chicken parm. Mythra made her way down too, led by her nose. 

The conversation over dinner was mostly about classes and the kind of homework they had. Once they’d finished, they cleaned their plates and headed to their rooms to work on said homework. 

Brighid finished pretty quickly, though she didn’t feel like going down to the living room. She could hear that some of the others were down there watching television. 

Instead, she texted the group chat, that she’d had to mute a few hours ago. Did Zeke ever shut up? (The answer was no.)

It wasn’t even Zeke; it was Rex complaining about Pyra and Mythra having dragged him into watching Mor Ardain’s Next Top Model. It really wasn’t his cup of tea, but it felt like if he got up, he would get looks of disapproval and disappointment. 

Brighid could come downstairs to rescue him, but she decided to let him on the couch downstairs. He could suffer on his own. Instead, she decided to start reading ahead for what she had to read for her upcoming classes. 

[Suffering, college edition]

[Zekenator]: i cant believe its so fucking hot were in august

[Rexypoo]: you live in a dessert, zeke  
[Rexypoo]: what were you expecting

[Pandy]: dessert

[Flamebringer]: dessert

[Zekenator]: dessert

[Rexypoo]: oh no  
[Rexypoo]: i didnt mean to put a second s  
[Rexypoo] we dont live in a dessert

[Flamebringer]: congrats, you can make a difference between a cake and an area that has a very dry climate  
[Flamebringer]: youre a college student

[Pandy changed the groups name to “We live in a dessert”]

[Rexypoo]: why am i friends with you guys

[Flamebringer]: you made the mistake of becoming acquaintances with Zeke

[Pandy]: a very unfortunate event that i regret to this day

[Zekenator]: YOURE MY GIRLFRIEND

[Pandy]: :3c

[Flamebringer]: oh yeah i regret that too

[Zekenator]: MÒRAG

Nia had spent her entire evening walking back and forth in her room. Why was she so damn nervous? It wasn’t like she hadn’t gone on a date with Mòrag before. Then again, this technically wasn’t a date. It was just two friends going out for brunch to catch up after not having been in contact for 4 years. 

She had work in the morning, then a class three hours later. In between those two, she’d be spending the time with Mòrag. She looked through her clothes, looking for something that was casual, yet still formal enough. 

She needed help. She’d spent the last five years in a high school uniform and changing out of it by going directly into her pyjamas. She had no idea how to dress herself anymore. 

Sighing, she walked out of her room. She could hear the television downstairs. She knocked on Brighid’s door, hoping she was in her room. 

There was no answer. Shit. Brighid worked at a modeling studio, she would be her best bet when it came to help. 

“Brighid’s downstairs,” she heard Mythra say. She’d just walked up the stairs. “We’re watching Mor Ardain’s next top model, you should join us.”

Nia considered her options. Mythra seemed talented enough in the ways of dressing herself. She could help.

“Sure,” Nia said “but I could use some help from you first.” Mythra looked at her, waiting for her to elaborate. She explained her clothing situation. She didn't mention who she was seeing, though. 

Mythra nodded. “No problem. Let’s go see what you got.”

Nia was a little scared as Mythra looked through her closet, though she asked before opening a drawer. Within a few minutes, she’d pulled out multiple outfits that would work. 

“Do you have a date tomorrow or something?” Mythra asked. 

“Nah,” she scratched the back of her head. “I just need to look presentable and haven’t had to wear clothes that aren’t a school uniform in a long time.”

Mythra nodded. “Well, since you have work tomorrow morning, I’d say maybe bring something extra in case you stain your shirt.”

“Work has a uniform, so I’m not worried about staining something.”

“It’s supposed to be really hot tomorrow, so I’d recommend this,” Mythra pointed to one of the outfits she’d put on Nia’s bed. “The shirt feels really light so you shouldn’t get too hot. Though it might become a little transparent, so either wear something else or a cute bra underneath.”

“I don’t really have any cute bras,” she replied.

Mythra shook her head. “Nonsense. Any bra is cute as long as it’s on a cute girl.”

Nia could feel her entire face become red as she tried to blabber something to follow that up. 

“If you need your hair styled, tell me and I’ll help you out,” Mythra said, either not noticing her internal screaming or ignoring it. 

“I’ll keep that in mind, but my hair’s a little short for styling.” 

“I’ve styled shorter hair, don’t worry. I’ve been making Pyra’s hair presentable for a while.”

“Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime.”

[Mòrag]: do you still want to meet up at Torna’s after your shift?

[Nia]: yup, i finish at 11. Do you want to eat there or find somewhere else?

[Mòrag]: we could go to brunch, theres a restaurant a few block away that has great food

[Nia]: sounds good to me

Mòrag woke up early the next morning, as usual, to drive Niall to school. She didn’t have any classes today, so normally she’d spend it working on stuff for her classes or help her dad out at work. Today though, she had a “date”. 

She went back home after dropping her brother off and spent the morning doing reading for a class. She eventually got changed into something other than her pyjamas. 

Even if most of her flannels were paper thin, it was too hot to wear even her thinnest one. Instead, she put on a blue tank top and black shorts. She also tied her hair up into a bun so she wouldn’t overheat. 

Ready, she headed out.

Nia was waiting for her. They’d been planning to walk, but the heat wave made them drive instead. 

They spent the entire time catching up, taking turns while talking about what they’d been up to for the past four years. Mòrag being Mòrag, she offered to pay. Nia agreed, as long as she could pay for dessert. 

They went for ice cream, since there was an ice cream shop not too far away. They walked there, still talking. 

The shop was full, so they leaned against a wall as they ate their ice cream. Nia looked at the side of Mòrag’s thigh. 

“Did the scars fade?”

It took a second for Mòrag to understand what she meant. “Oh, no, I just cover up the scars with makeup these days. I don’t think they’ll ever actually fade completely.”

Nia nodded. She couldn’t blame Mòrag for hiding those scars. 

They headed back to Mòrag’s car. They hadn’t managed to find a parking spot in the shade, so they stood outside of the car with the doors open for awhile. Once the car had cooled down enough, they drove to the house, where Nia quickly grabbed her things and jumped back in the car. 

She wasn’t late, but it felt like an adventure. She and Mòrag laughed as they took off toward the school. 

Mòrag went back home, her heart still fluttering. She pushed the “date" out of her head then kept working. 

She’d gotten a text from Zeke. 

[Zeke]: how did it go? do you still love her?

[Mòrag]: it was really fun  
[Mòrag]: and no, i dont still love her

Nia didn’t let herself think about the date until she’d gone back home and had closed the door behind her. 

She laughed. To think she’d been stressing about this all week.

Sure, she and Mòrag were friends, but there was nothing between them deeper than that. 

She’d been scared that she was still in love with Mòrag.

She was glad she wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave comments, they're what keeps me going!


	8. Pool party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zeke has a suggestion for everybody and no one can refuse it.

[Zekenator]: nyall wanna meet up at morags after classes on friday  
[Zekenator]: she has a pool bring your bathing suits

[Rexypoo]: sounds good to me. what time?

[Jewel]: does morag know about this?

[Pandy]: no, hes just got a key to morags house

[Jewel]: i didnt know it was possible for someone to trust zeke enough with a house key, of all things

[Zekenator]: thats rude, brighid

[Flamebringer]: were you planning on telling me this before or after friday

[Zekenator]: on friday, actually

[Flamebringer]: your house key privileges have been revoked  
[Flamebringer]: on another note im down for a party at my place 

[Pandy]: ill make the sangria

[Jewel]: i can bring some chips

[Zekenator]: im bringing… myself

[Flambringer]: unacceptable 

[Pandy]: what about you rex?

[Jewel]: mythra grabbed his phone and shes losing her mind because of his nickname

Brighid watched the scene play out in slow motion. Mythra had leaned against the couch and looked down at Rex’s phone. She’d started laughing really hard and everyone turned toward her. She’d snatched Rex’s phone from his hands and said between laughs that his name was Rexypoo.

Nia snorted, spilling her water all over herself. Pyra laughed too, though she was a little more civilised. Rex was trying to get his phone back, but Mythra was taller than him so he couldn’t. 

It was Brighid who took pity on him and snatched it from Mythra and gave it back to him. 

“Who else is in that group chat?” Nia asked once she’d stopped laughing enough. 

“Someone called Jewel, Zekenator, which is probably Zeke, Pandoria and someone called Flamebringer,” Mythra replied. 

“It’s Zeke, Pandoria, Mòrag, Rex and I in there,” Brighid said. 

“They’re inviting Brighid and I to a party at Mòrag’s on friday, I can ask if you guys can come, too,” Rex said, trying to calm down the situation. 

“Sure,” Mythra replied. 

“I wouldn’t be against it either,” Pyra added. 

Mythra noticed the Nia didn’t say anything, just made a noncommittal shrug. 

[Rexypoo added Mythra, Pyra and Nia to We live in a dessert]

[Zekenator]: new friends!  
[Zekenator]: nyall wanna come to a party at mòrags on friday

[Mythra]: im down, what time?

[Flamebringer]: ill be at home all day, though ive gotta pick up niall from school at 4 so after 4h30 or so  
[Flamebringer]: nialls going to a friend and having a sleepover so he wont be there

[Zekenator]: bring a bathing suit shes got a pool

[Nia]: do we need to bring anything?

[Pandy]: just yourself, maybe some snacks but not obligatory

[Pyra]: looking forward to it!

The entire house was looking forward to the party. They were already 5 weeks into the semester and they could use some time to relax. 

Nia was looking forward to it, too. Sure, she was a little nervous, but she was also excited. 

On monday, there was a knock at Nia’s door after she’d come back from work. She let them in; it was Mythra. 

“Do you have a bathing suit?” she asked. 

“I don’t,” she replied, “but I wasn’t planning on wearing one. Just a tank top and shorts will be fine.”

Mythra scoffed, crossing her arms. “A girl who respects herself in Alba Cavanich has to have a bathing suit. Also because I work at a clothing store so I can get you a discount.”

“Well, if you're offering,” Nia said. “I won’t say no.”

“Great,” Mythra replied, twiddling with her hair. “You finish at 2 tomorrow, right? Do you have work afterwards?”

“Nah, Patroka wanted my shift so I let her have it,” she said. “So I’m free. You finish at 1, right? You can wait for an hour and we can go there directly from the school.”

“Sounds good,” Mythra said. She stayed there for a second, leaning against the door frame. 

Nia couldn’t help but notice how good Mythra looked, even if she was wearing a loose shirt and leggings. She was just really pretty in general. She couldn’t believe she’d ended up in a house full with hot people. Except Rex. He was nice, sure, but not that hot. 

Mythra was glad Nia had accepted her offer. Not only would she be helping her out with her non-existent sense of fashion, but she’d also be spending time with her in general. She couldn’t wait for tomorrow. 

As planned, the two met up at the entrance of the school at 2. Nia drove them to the mall where Mythra worked. 

Nia hated clothes shopping. Especially bathing suits.She never felt quite right wearing them, never pretty enough. Still, she wasn’t too nervous about this shopping trip for some reason. She even sang in the car with Mythra on the way to the mall. 

By the time they reached the mall, her heart wasn’t in her throat like she’d expected it to be. Hesitantly, she reached for Mythra’s hand to hold it. She stopped herself right as they walked into the store. Instead, Mythra took her hand and with a smile, led her to the bathing suit section. 

Thankfully, Mythra understood that Nia would much rather have shorts rather than a a classic bottom. 

The suit she’d picked out with Mythra fit her perfectly and she was really close to crying in the dressing room. She snapped a picture before changing into her clothes and headed to the cash register. 

Mythra did indeed get her that discount. 

Before heading home, the two went around the mall, doing other miscellaneous shopping. On the ride home, they sang to the music on the radio. 

They were the first ones back at the house. Neither had homework, so they settled on the couch and watched whatever was playing on television. It was reruns from a cooking competition, though they’d never seen the original run. 

Mythra read through previous messages she’d missed while they were out. There were some from house group chat about who was making dinner tonight, a few from her cousin and Pyra, then all of the others were from the chat with Zeke and the others. 

[We live in a dessert]

[Zekenator]: its time for me to do my blessed role and name our newcomers

[Zekenator changed Pyra’s nickname to Baeblade]  
[Zekenator changed Mythra’s nickname to Aegis]  
[Zekenator changed Nia’s nickname to y’know, Nya?]

[Aegis]: absolutely not

[Aegis changed Baeblade’s nickname to Baby]

[y’know, Nya?]: i dont know what i expected, but this is better

Nia laughed. “Is Pyra really a baby?”

“She might be younger than me by seven minutes, but she’s a baby,” she replied. 

[Baby]: Mythra!!! Im not a baby!!!!!

[Aegis]: you absolutely are

Friday arrived quickly. Everyone had brought some snacks and got to Mòrag’s around 5. Rex felt almost dirty parking his truck in front of her house. He hoped no one called the police because of it. 

Mòrag opened the door, then led the way to the backyard. The pool took up most of it. Zeke and Pandoria were already in it, having gotten there before the others. 

“If you brought a change of clothes, I can show you to the bathroom so you can change there,” Mòrag said. 

Most of them already had their bathing suits on under their clothes, so they just strung their clothes on some of the lawn chairs like Zeke had. 

Brighid tried to look away when Mòrag took off her shirt. Shit, she had abs. She took a deep breath and looked away, not seeing Mythra’s knowing, shit-eating grin. 

She did, however, see the scars on Mòrag’s stomach and legs. There were a few on her arms, too but they weren’t as visible. They were ugly things that spread in large patches, almost looking like really big birthmarks. She tried to figure out what could leave scars like that until she remembered the one on her own arm. 

Burn scars. 

She didn’t mention them. Neither did anyone else.

Nia sat on the side of the pool, her legs in the water. It wasn’t that she didn’t know how to swim, she just didn’t like swimming when she couldn’t touch the bottom. When Mòrag told her that most of the pool was four feet deep, she jumped in. 

Zeke had found a ball. Mòrag wasn’t sure where it came from, it wasn’t Niall’s soccer ball and there wasn’t a volleyball in the house. Either way, they were playing some form of water volleyball, though there was no net or clear delimitation between the two playing fields. 

Mythra somehow managed to spike Zeke in the face, who fell backwards and floated on his back for awhile. He was probably alive. A few minutes later, he was back in the game, though he had a red mark on his face. 

Rex also spiked it, the ball heading straight for Mòrag. She spiked it right back at him. He ducked underwater to avoid getting hit in the face.

After too many close calls and a nosebleed from Zeke, they called off the game. Zeke was nursing his nosebleed on a lawn chair. 

They were gathered around a picnic table, Mòrag having taken out bowls so they could put their snacks in them. Pandoria had brought sangria, but alcohol and pools didn’t mix, so she’d left it in the fridge for now. Maybe a little later. 

Zeke had asked Rex about Leftheria, and he was telling him about some shenanigans when he was younger. There was only one public high school in the entire Archipelago, so that was where he’d gone. Pandoria asked what type of trouble he’d gotten in, but Rex assured her that he hadn’t done anything of the sort. Pandoria found it boring. 

“I’m gonna guess something happened to you, by those scars on your chest,” Rex said. 

Zeke looked down. The only scars on his chest were… Right. He hadn’t told Rex. 

“Nah, those are surgical,” he replied. “I had top surgery three years back.”

It took a full second for Rex to register. “Oh! Sorry if asking was rude.”

“It’s fine bud,” Zeke said. “I don’t care if people know or not, I could take them. And if I couldn’t, Mòrag could. Right Mòrag?”

She hadn’t been listening to the conversation, so the only answer he got was “what?”

“Would you fight people that were mean to me?” he clarified. 

“Absolutely, only I’m allowed to make fun of you,” she replied without missing a beat. 

“How long have you two known each other, anyway?” Mythra asked. 

“Since before we were born, if my mother is to be believed,” Mòrag said. “Our parents were friends and we were born less than a month apart.”

“We were fated to be friends,” Zeke said, dramatically swinging his arm up and putting a hand over his chest. 

“We met Pandoria and Nia in elementary school,” Mòrag added. 

“Yup!” Pandoria said. “The four of us go way back.”

They were getting hungry, so Mòrag ordered pizza. While waiting for the delivery guy, they were still talking about childhood stories. They learnt Mythra and Pyra were actually the two youngest of triplets and not actually twins. 

“You parents must really like Morythan mythology if they all named you after Morythan gods,” Nia noted. 

“Well, dad is a professor of morythan history and mom’s a scientist, so the naming scheme makes a bit of sense,” Pyra said. 

The doorbell rang, and Mòrag went over to answer the door and retrieve their pizzas. She was greeted with cheers.

Brighid talked about the joys of growing up in Uraya. She’d spent most of her life in Fonsa Myma and it had been nice. She’d spent a few winter vacations in Mor Ardain, but this was by far the longest she’d ever been here. 

“Compared to here, it is rather chilly,” Brighid said. “I think the temperature in winter nights here is what we get in the summer.”

“Doesn’t compare to Tantal though,” Pandoria said. “That place is a winter wonderland eight months of the year.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me,” Zeke added. “It gets so cold this time of year you can’t leave the house without at least five layers.”

“Gormott is pretty alright, we get a bit of snow in the winter but nothing major,” Nia said. 

“I’m perfectly fine with this desert,” Mòrag said. “I don’t think I can feel heat anymore.”

“Wouldn’t that just be because your nerve endings fried?” Pandoria asked. 

Mòrag made a non committal “fair enough” noise. “My nerve endings didn’t fry though, they burned.”

“Are those scars burn scars?” Brighid asked. 

“Yeah,” Mòrag answered. 

Rex opened his mouth to say something, but Pyra slapped his arm. There were things you didn’t ask or talk about. This was one of them. 

Nia changed the subject after that. Talking about near-death experiences would surely dampen the mood. 

Instead, they ate their pizza and the sangria made its appearance. There wasn’t much alcohol in it, but it didn’t need it to be damn good. It had also gotten dark outside. Though there were lights in the backyard, none of them felt like swimming in the dark. They’d changed back to their regular clothes and were now on the couches, a television show playing in the background. 

Brighid say next to Mòrag, who’d casually wrapped an arm around her shoulder. They talked well into the night, long after the sangria and snacks had been emptied. 

“I have an idea,” Zeke said. 

“Uh oh,” Mòrag, Pandoria and Nia said as one. 

“We should play never have I ever.” He looked so proud of himself.

“I don’t see why not,” Mythra shrugged. Everyone felt the same, so after everyone had gotten shots of soda, since they were out of sangria, they started with Zeke.

“Never have I ever … gone skinny dipping.”

They all looked at eachother. Zeke, Pandoria, Nia and Rex took a sip.

Rex’s turn. “Never have I ever been in a car accident.”

Mòrag and Pyra.

Mythra’s turn. “Never have I ever walked in on my parents doing something sexual.”

Pyra and Mythra.

Pandoria’s turn. “Never have I ever dyed my hair.”

Everyone but Rex.

Pyra’s turn. “Never have I ever smoked.”

Zeke.

Brighid’s turn. “Never have I ever wanted to fuck a classmate.”

Everyone.

Mòrag’s turn. “Never have I ever fucked someone who works or has worked at Torna’s.”

Zeke, Pandoria, Nia and Mòrag.

“Holy shit,” Rex muttered softly.

It was probably around one in the morning where Nia asked if Zeke was sober enough to drive himself and Pandoria home. She was fine and so was Rex, but there was enough space in their cars to give them a ride if need be.

“I’m gonna take that offer,” Zeke said. “I feel fine, but I would rather not drive to be safe.”

“Give me the keys to your car and I’ll drive it back to your dorm in the morning,” Mòrag said. “Or you can stay here for the night, the guest room is clean enough.”

“I’m alright with driving the two of you back, no need to bother Mòrag,” Nia said. 

“Yeah, I’d rather sleep in my own too,” Zeke added. He threw his keys at Mòrag and she caught them. 

Mòrag watched them leave from the porch. She yawned. She was tired enough that she could go to bed immediately. She just needed to take her medicine and check her phone for anything important. 

There was a goodnight text from Niall and her parents. Her father was still in Uraya for work, but he’d be back in a few days. 

Once she’d gotten a text from Brighid that she was back home and that Nia had successfully dropped off Zeke and Pandoria, she went to sleep. 

Once they’d gotten back to their dorm, Zeke and Pandoria had gone straight to bed. 

Back at the house, Brighid sent a text to Mòrag to reassure her. Then, she got in line for one of the bathrooms so she could brush her teeth then go to sleep. 

She slept well that night, though she was unable to not think about Mòrag’s abs. Or the scars that had been all over her legs and chest.


	9. Afterparty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mòrag and Brighid clean up after the previous night's party, then things return to normal for the group of friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive! The end of the semester kicked my ass, but I'm back.

Mòrag woke up to her ringtone. 

“Hello?” she answered blearily. 

“Mòrag?” It was Niall. “Sorry, did I wake you up?”

“I’m awake now,” she yawned. “What’s up?”

“Raiko’s mom is taking us out for lunch, just thought I’d let you know so you don’t get anything for me,” he said. 

Mòrag nodded before remembering this was a phone call. “Alright, just call or text before you get home.”

“I will, love you,” he said. 

“Love you too.”

She yawned again before checking the time. It was only 11h30, though she hadn’t woken up this late in quite a while. She rolled out of bed. It was comfortable, but she had to leave it eventually. 

She passed her hands through her hair as she made her way down to the kitchen. She might be a shit cook, but she wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t make toast for herself. All she had to do was put the toast in the toaster and let it do the work. 

She leaned against the counter, her eyes half closed waiting for the toast to jump. The doorbell made her jump before the toaster did.

She made her way to the door. She saw Brighid when she looked through the peephole. What was Brighid doing here? Without thinking, she opened the door. 

“I hope I didn’t wake you up,” she said when she opened the door. “I just felt bad letting you clean up last night’s mess on your own. I brought some coffee, too.”

Mòrag let her in. She guessed there was a little bit of a mess. 

“I appreciate the help,” she said as Brighid handed her a coffee. She really hadn’t been looking forward to cleaning up. “Do you want toast?” 

“If you don’t mind.”

Mòrag led her to the kitchen, where she dropped more toasts. She was more in the mood for a berry jam, but she had a chocolate spread if Brighid wanted it. 

They had what could be considered brunch at the table. Mòrag was still wearing her pyjamas, which were short shorts with a cat pattern on them and a matching tank top. She had mild regrets. 

“There really isn’t much to clean up,” Mòrag said between bites. “Just need to clean out the bowls and put them in the washing machine. Maybe also pass the broom on the ground to pick up some crumbs. There isn’t enough to warrant the vacuum cleaner.” Truth be told, she had no idea where the vacuum was in the garage, and she didn’t feel like going down there at all. 

Brighid nodded. “Doesn’t sound too complicated. What do you want me to do?”

“Well, I guess you sweep up a bit, I’ll take care of the dishes.”

“Roger that.”

Mòrag handed Brighid the broom and she got started. There were a few crumbs here and there, but nothing major. She thought they’d made more of a mess than this, but apparently not. Mòrag was gathering bowls and cups and rinsing them out before putting them in the machine. 

They finished in less than half an hour. Brighid was still sweeping. 

“You can ask about the scars, it’s alright,” Mòrag said. “Honestly, if you google my name it’s the first thing that comes up; Mythra’s probably already done it by now.”

“I wouldn’t want to invade my friend's privacy by googling them,” Brighid replied. “It just seems rude.”

Mòrag nodded, then sat on the couch, motioning for Brighid to join her.

“Well, I was in a car accident when I was eight. There was a drunk driver, swerved and hit us head on. They said my mom died instantly, she was driving. My dad and I survived the initial hit, by the other guy’s car caught fire and it spread to ours. Some passersby had called the police and firemen, but they were trying to get us out of the car before we burned. Dad insisted they get me first. I was on fire when they pulled me out and unconscious. When ambulances and stuff got there they cut my dad out of the car and he was barely alive.” She took a deep breath.

“You really don’t have to-” Brighid started, but Mòrag cut her off.

“They rushed us to different hospitals. Dad was on a ventilator for a week. I was on one too. I wasn’t hurt too badly, but I’d been burned so they kept me at the hospital for a few days. My uncle, my mother’s brother, was the only next of kin that wasn’t me and he was the one who pulled the plug on my dad. He took me in and adopted me.”

“I’m so sorry,” Brighid said, pulling Mòrag into a hug. 

Mòrag wasn’t complaining about the hug. “It’s alright.”

Brighid didn’t let go of Mòrag for a little bit. “Do you have any plans for today?” she asked. 

“I have to get Zeke his car back and try to get ahead on work,” she replied. “I’m going to be busy in december and I’d rather have as many projects done as possible by then.”

“I should probably do that as well,” Brighid agreed. 

It felt wrong to leave Mòrag alone, so she stayed on the couch. Mòrag made no move to get off the couch. 

“Do you, um,” Mòrag said, scratching the back of her head, “want to stay awhile? We could watch a few episodes of something. It can’t hurt to take some time to relax.”

Brighid smiled. “That sounds like a good idea. What do you want to watch?”

[We live in a dessert]

[Aegis]: pandoria you need to give me that sangria recipe it was so damn good  
[Aegis]: also i should not have had five glasses of it i am full of regret

[Flamebringer]: her sangria does that 

[Baby]: shes had a blanket wrapped her head and shes been groaning for awhile  
[Baby:]: still hasnt gotten out of bed

[Aegis]: i will throw this pillow at you

[Baby]: she missed me lmao

[Pandy]: ill send the recipe to your student email check it when youre not hungover

[Rexypoo]: there was alcohol in it?

[y’know, nya]: you sweet summer child  
[y’know, nya]: its sangria OF COURSE its got alcohol

Mythra eventually made her way out of her room and down to the kitchen. She was hungry. Nia was there, doing the dishes.

“So you’re awake?” she said. 

“Yeah, who would have thought Pandoria would be able to make such good sangria?”

Nia laughed and Mythra sat at the table. 

“I haven’t seen Brighid, is she hung over too?” Mythra asked.

“Nah, she borrowed my car and headed to Mòrag’s. Said she wanted to help her clean up after everything last night.”

“I didn’t think Brighid could drive,” Mythra muttered. 

“She can, just can’t afford a car,” Nia replied, still washing the dishes. “I can’t either. Mine was a present from my uncle before I moved here.”

Mythra nodded. “You know that joke that gay people can’t drive? Yeah, that’s accurate for me. Can’t drive for shit.” 

Nia stopped in her tracks and looked at Mythra. Had she heard that right? She had.

Mythra went red. “Shit. Didn’t mean to say that.” She started standing up, but Nia turned around, waving her hands and making water splash all around. 

“It’s fine! Ok!” She gestured at herself, tripping over her words but unable to stop herself. “Gay! Gay me.”

Mythra blinked. “Gay?”

Nia took a moment. “Yeah, I’m gay too.”

There was a beat of silence, then they both started laughing. This certainly wasn’t how either had planned coming out to their housemate, but this was fine. And really funny.

[House group]

[Rex]: does anyone know why there’s wet towels on the floor near the sink in the kitchen? 

[Nia]: nope

[Mythra]: not a clue

One of Mòrag’s favourite spots in the college was a cozy dark corner in the student lounge. She was sitting in a bean bag, laptop on her lap and music playing in her ears. She had four hours until her next class, so she worked. She hadn’t moved in two hours when she got a notification that wasn’t the group chat.

[Need some help]  
[Sent to Ladair, Mòrag on October 13th at 13:05]  
Hello Mòrag,  
The pianist I’d recruited for this semester had to move away and I now find myself without one. I’ve asked around and put up flyers, but haven’t gotten any responses yet. If you’re interested, you could take it up and you’d be paid. 

Check out the attached link, it contains the sheet music for the performances planned for december along with dates and other useful information. You’d be paid for both performances and practices.

Waiting for a reply,  
Haze Garanti.  
[Attached document: pianist info]

She read it a few times to make sure she’d actually read it correctly. The songs seemed fairly simple, though a few were a bit more complex and would require her to also practice with the choir. 

She wanted to accept. She’d loved playing, though she’d been in a bit of a stump lately. Judging by the time, she knew the drama lounge, where the piano was, would be mostly empty. There was probably a class in session, but it wouldn’t be Haze’s. 

She put her laptop in her bag and tried to roll out of the beanbag. She couldn’t. She’d been in this thing for too long. Shit. She grabbed her phone and checked to see who wouldn’t be in class right now. She saw Zeke was, so she couldn’t count on him to come to the rescue. She tried again and found herself still stuck. 

[Mòrag]: i need help  
[Mòrag]: im in the student lounge on the second floor

[Brighid] omw. whats wrong?

[Mòrag]: youll see

Brighid was confused as to why Mòrag would ask her for help since they weren’t in the same program, but it was probably important. She was on the third floor, so she took the stairs down. She hadn’t spent much time in the second floor student lounge, but she had a vague idea of where it was.

It was empty aside from Mòrag sitting in a beanbag in the back. 

Oh.

She tried not to laugh. “Are you stuck?”

“Yes,” Mòrag replied, somehow keeping her dignity. 

Brighid laughed as she held out her hand to help out Mòrag. There was a moment of struggle before Mòrag was in her arms because Brighid had pulled too hard. 

They stayed like that for half a second before Mòrag joined in the laughing and grabbed her bag. “I have to go to the drama room,” she said. “Care to come along?”

Brighid shrugged. “I don’t have anything better to do. My next class is in an hour.”

They decided to take the elevator. Sure, exercise was good for them, but the stairs in this building were a special kind of hell that only people who truly hated themselves dared to use for more than one floor. 

She found Haze in the lounge, typing at her computer. Akhos was also there, typing furiously at his laptop. Oborna was next to him, looking over his shoulder. She’d almost forgotten they were drama students and not just waiters at Torna’s. 

Haze looked up and smiled. “Did you see my email?”

She nodded. “I can’t say anything for certain, I’d have to check with Aegaeon if he’s free to watch over Niall on those days, but it seems interesting. I’d also like to try out the piano; haven’t played a while.”

“Want me to print the sheets?”

“Sure.”

Mòrag sat at the piano, hands hovering above the keys. She started playing. 

Haze put the sheet music. She followed, managing to go through most of the first song without too many errors. She’d certainly have to practice, not that she wasn’t expecting too. 

There was a class starting so she had to leave, but she really hoped Aegaeon would be able to watch over Niall. 

It would be nice to play again. 

Brighid had watched all of it in silence and eventually took a seat to listen. She had no idea what Mòrag was playing, but it was beautiful. 

She hoped she could hear more of Mòrag’s playing in the future.


End file.
